What is Esurance DriveSense?
Esurance offers auto insurance customers a way to reduce premiums through Esurance DriveSense, a mobile app that logs and tracks driving data. Modus, a provider of telematics solutions, partnered with Esurance to develop the program. Telematics uses communications technology to help improve efficiency and safety in transportation, and Modus provides tools to help with this goal.
What is Esurance DriveSense? The DriveSense app is a tool designed to help you drive more safely. It automatically detects when your car’s in motion and logs details which are important to your safety: Speed. Hard braking. Time of day.
How Does Esurance DriveSense work?
This device monitors certain driving behaviors using real-time driving data and offers you the ability to get a personalized discount based on your driving. Originally, Esurance DriveSense required drivers to use Esurance’s plug-in device that plugs into your car’s OBD-II port, but now they are transitioning to DriveSense Mobile. This app is available in many states, but the company is working to make it available in more areas as it transitions the program. Keep in mind, the app is free but there may be a charge from your mobile phone carrier for downloading it because it will use your cellular data (Connecting to WiFi will solve this issue).
The DriveSense app works on smartphones (iPhone 5s with iOS 10 or newer and Android 6.0 or above). The app runs in the background of your phone and automatically wakes up when it detects the motion of driving without you having to open the app every time you drive. If you’re a passenger in a car or on some other form of transportation, such as public transportation, the app may still record the trip from time to time. However, you can delete any trips you weren’t the driver for in the app.
DriveSense monitors your driving, draws a map of your driving patterns and behaviors, and gives you weekly recaps of your trips and driving habits. It offers drivers helpful driving tips, whether the driving behavior is good or bad, to help people become safer drivers and save more money.
When you enroll in the program, you receive an automatic discount on your policy premiums. Then when you renew your policy, you’ll receive a discount that is customized according to your personalized driving info that was tracked by the app. This discount may change depending on your driving behavior; you can see this information by looking at your Driving Wellness Meter. You can also use the app to view tips to improve your personal driving wellness. To receive the discount for each policy term, you must log at least 50 trips per term.
To take advantage of this discount, you can enroll in the program online, by speaking to your agent or by calling customer service at 1-800-378-7262. You will need to download the DriveSense app. You can enroll all drivers who are on your policy in the discount program to save even more money. If you aren’t an Esurance policyholder, you can still use DriveSense for free to receive weekly recaps of your driving behavior. Just download the DriveSense app to begin.
The DriveSense program is designed to save you money on your auto insurance policy. Unlike some other driver tracking programs, DriveSense will not cause your car insurance rates to increase no matter what your driving behavior is like. You can cancel the program at any time. Just be aware that you will lose your discount if you stop participating.
Program Features
Customers receive a discount on their policy premiums by allowing Esurance to monitor driving habits through the DriveSense mobile app. The app is available as a free download for anyone through the Google Play Store for Android devices and the Apple App Store for iOS devices.
Esurance customers in 35 states, as of February 2020, are eligible to use the app to sign up for the DriveSense program to receive discounts.
The app provides a map of each trip including the time of day, duration, and driving habits such as speed, acceleration, and braking. After 25 trips, the app provides what it calls a personal driving wellness meter and weekly recaps of any risky events, such as speeding or sudden braking.
Analyzing your recorded driving behaviors can help you make adjustments to your driving that will help you save even more money on your auto insurance policy.
If there are multiple drivers on a policy, they all can be enrolled, and each driver’s habits are taken into account when determining the amount of your discount.
Discounts
Esurance provides a discount for signing up for the DriveSense program, then you receive an additional discount each policy term as long as you record at least 50 trips during the term. Esurance does not specify how much either discount will be. If you already are a policyholder, Esurance can provide details based on your policy and where you live. If you are not a policyholder, you can request a quote that includes a DriveSense discount.
The amount of your discount each term is based on how the app assesses your driving. The safer you are, the greater your discount will be.
It’s necessary to put the app on standby when you are a passenger in a car or else it will think you are the one driving. The app is programmed to wake up and track your movement every time you are traveling. If you forget to put the app on standby, you can delete trips from your record.
You lose the discount only if you stop using or uninstall the DriveSense app or if you log fewer than 50 trips during a policy term. If you get a new phone, simply install the app on your new phone and log in using your existing username and password.
Personal Data
While Modus helped develop Esurance’s program, the current app and data are handled by Arity, which also specializes in transportation technology.
The data that is collected and how it is used can be reviewed on Arity’s website. It is mostly a standard agreement that details what information is needed to track driving habits for the purposes of calculating discounts. It also details how and when nonpersonal information may be shared with third parties for marketing purposes. Users have the ability to opt-in or out of receiving some communications.
Conclusion
DriveSense is a good option for Esurance customers looking for a way to reduce their auto insurance premiums. If you are paying higher premiums because you are considered a high-risk driver, a discount program like DriveSense can help offset some of the additional costs. There is no fee to participate, and there is no risk of rates going up even if your driving habits score poorly on the app.
The app had more than 4,300 reviews on the Google Play Store as of February 2020 with an average of 2.9 out of 5 stars. More than half the reviews were either 5-star reviews or 1-star reviews, meaning most reviewers either really like the app or really dislike it. Positive reviews typically referenced the benefit of receiving a discount, while negative reviews complained about the accuracy of the data.
Ratings on the Apple App Store were much better with an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on more than 14,000 reviews as of February 2020. The majority of reviews were 5-star reviews.